AVADirect X370 Quiet Gaming PC Review

Quiet and Beautiful

AVADirect wasn’t really a systems builder on our radar until late last year when we reviewed their Avant Mini Cube Gaming PC. After extensive testing, we found that the system was well configured, well built, and well priced, quickly propelling AVADirect to the top as one of our favorite custom PC builders.

Recently, AVADirect sent us another one of the systems in their lineup, the AVADirect X370 Quiet Gaming PC, which as its name implies is AVADirect’s quiet gaming PC offering based on AMD’s X370 Ryzen platform.

HyperX Launches Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset with Dual Chamber Design

The new HyperX Cloud Alpha continues the lineage of the immensely popular HyperX Cloud series of gaming headsets with a proprietary new technology which HyperX believes will help significantly improve audio quality.

Though Cloud Alpha uses the same 50mm neodymium drivers as the Cloud II, HyperX has taken steps to produce a more balanced audio playback by adding in a second chamber in the earcup. Dubbed the HyperX Dual Chamber technology, the second chamber allows the bass to be tuned separately from the highs and mids, preventing it from [...]

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September 20, 2017

Toshiba Picks $18 Billion Bid from Bain Capital Led Group to Buy Memory Business

The drawn out, drama filled sale of Toshiba’s prized memory business may finally be coming to a close as Reuters reports Toshiba has selected an $18 Billion (2 Trillion Yen) bid from a Bain Capital led group which includes a number of major corporations including Toshiba, Hoya, SK Hynix, Apple, Dell, Kingston, and Seagate.

The infusion of the cash is expected to provide Toshiba 740 Billion Yen after taxes, which will help prevent it from being de-listed from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Toshiba had been in a massive amount of debt after major losses by their nuclear power business prompted a multi-billion USD write-off.

Despite Toshiba’s agreement to [...]

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October 8, 2017

How to Migrate to an SSD Using Samsung Data Migration Software

So you read our article on why you need an SSD and you took our recommendation to pick up a Samsung SSD. Now you’ve got the SSD in your hands and you’re wondering how in the world you’re going to migrate your Windows 10, 8.1, 8, or 7 installation along with all your programs and files to the new SSD. While you could just bite the bullet and re-install everything from scratch, doing so can be extremely time consuming.

Luckily, one of the features that sets Samsung SSDs apart is the Samsung’s Data Migration Software which can make the migration process from your old HDD or SSD to your new one easy and pain free. Today we’ll show you how to use [...]

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August 18, 2017

Samsung T5 2TB Review

64-Layer 3D NAND, USB 3.1 Gen 2

Last year I was fortunate enough to be among the first to review the Samsung T3 Portable SSD. The drive was small, durable, fast, available in capacities up to 2TB, and relatively good looking making it not only my favorite portable SSD, but also my most highly recommended as well.

Kingston Ships 6+ Million SSDs with Marvell Controllers

Kingston and Marvell are celebrating a great two years as a recent press release revealed that Kingston has shipped over 6 million Marvell powered SSDs.

Kingston and Marvell’s relationship didn’t begin until February of 2015 when Kingston shipped the first HyperX Predator PCIe SSDs featuring Marvell’s 88SS9293 controllers. Since then, Kingston has utilized Marvell’s 88SS1074 controller in the UV400 series SSD and will soon launch the UV500 series SSD carrying Marvell’s 88SS1074 paired with 3D NAND.

Kingston will show off their latest Marvell powered SSDs at FMS 2017.

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January 5, 2019

The Best Gaming Keyboards of 2019

When it boils down to it, one of the most important components of your new gaming PC is the keyboard. Aside from the mouse, the keyboard, and maybe a gaming controller there’s literally nothing else that translates what you want to do to the PC. Unless you invest mind control… or something.

Over the past few years, one of the most popular categories of gaming keyboards have been the mechanical gaming keyboards. Unlike the cheap, soft and mushy rubber dome keyboards, mechanical gaming keyboards offer a better feel, more consistent actuation, better overall performance, and better reliability.

That said, with the increased popularity of mechanical [...]

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August 2, 2017

HyperX Alloy Elite Review

Going Elite

Not long ago, we tested the HyperX Alloy FPS gaming keyboard, which was the first mechanical gaming keyboard to be offered by Kingston’s HyperX brand. Rather than stack up with features galore, the HyperX Alloy FPS was a rather strategic product, catering towards mainstream and eSports gamers who simply want a solid performing mechanical gaming keyboard they can take on the go at a reasonable price. For the most part, they succeeded.

Now back for round two is the HyperX Alloy FPS’s bigger, badder cousin, the HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard which we have for review today. While the HyperX Alloy FPS catered towards the mainstream gaming [...]

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July 28, 2017

AMD Ryzen 7 1700X and 1800X Review

The AMD Ryzen Flagships

AMD launched their newest Ryzen CPUs to great fanfare back in March and while we found performance to be good in our launch review of the Ryzen 1700, we noted that there were quite a few growing pains that needed to be fixed before Ryzen could really shine against Intel. As such, rather than publishing another review of Ryzen on motherboards using incomplete BIOS firmware and badly optimized Windows, we decided to wait it out until AMD and its motherboard partners roll out the badly needed updates to allow Ryzen to really shine in all its glory.

HyperX Alloy FPS Review

Back to Basics

With mechanical gaming keyboards being all the rage, you’d be hard-pressed to find a gaming peripherals company without a mechanical gaming keyboard. One company that hasn’t offered one until recently however, is Kingston’s gaming brand, HyperX, which recently came out with their HyperX Alloy FPS gaming keyboard, officially marking their first entry into the mechanical gaming keyboard market.

Like many of their other gaming products, HyperX developed the Alloy FPS based on testing and feedback from the numerous eSports teams they currently sponsor. As a result, the Alloy FPS is a relatively basic keyboard without many of the [...]